


time after time

by foreverautumn



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Pet Shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 16:17:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3417266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverautumn/pseuds/foreverautumn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Who tells someone they look like a cat?"</p>
<p>"No, I said the cat looked like you," Eren corrects, looking back to the cat and ignoring Levi’s mounting confusion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	time after time

**Author's Note:**

> My heart has always longed for a cheesy pet shop au and this is how it came out. *A*

Even though he’s been working here part-time for five months now, Levi still can’t help questioning just how he’s ended up in such an environment.

To be frank, he’s here out of pure necessity; as a twenty-three year old trying to slowly put himself through college, he needs a way to make some money, no matter how measly the funds may be. Not that he’ll deny he’s getting paid more than he’d expected when he’d started, which is definitely a plus.

"That one! Look! That’s the one, mommy!”

But still…

Some days, it feels like all of the money in the world wouldn’t be worth it to stay here.

Levi turns his head slowly at the sound of someone snapping their fingers. Surely the woman with that loudmouth kid hadn’t meant for that to be a means to summon him?

His faith in humanity continues to be tested, however, as it has been many times while working here, when he sees the woman looking at him expectantly.

"Need something?" he grunts. Levi isn’t always rude, but unfortunately, his already meager customer service skills are often tested when faced with some of the people who frequent this place.

The woman rolls her eyes. “If you’d been paying attention, you’d know that we’re ready to buy this little bunny.”

Her gaze shifts downward pointedly, and her daughter squeals, “Yes mommy! That bunny is mine!”

Levi rubs at his temple in a completely un-subtle way as he makes his way over to retrieve the rabbit, the woman harrumphing at his apparent annoyance. Truthfully he couldn’t care less; his shift is over in forty-five minutes, and if he’s lucky, she’ll be his last customer for the day.

"Which one?" he asks blankly, hand mechanically reaching for one of the carrying cases lined up next to the cages. There are two rabbits in this particular cage, and the little brat seems to think she needs to scream even though they’re standing right next to each other.

"The black and white one!" She giggles. The sound cuts Levi like glass. "Her name is Cookie!"

Her mother chortles fondly, unaware of Levi’s struggle not to lose his cool and throw the entire cage at them. He carefully scoops up the chosen rabbit, ignoring the shrill cry of, “I want to hold her!”, and places it in a small carrying case. Levi can’t help a sense of satisfaction as he informs the duo that their precious little Cookie is not a girl.

The kid immediately starts bawling, her mother trying valiantly to soothe her. Somehow, it makes Levi feel a little better. At least one of them is able to express their frustrations right now.

He carries the rabbit over to the counter and pulls out the papers that will have to be signed. The cries are growing quieter, though the kid is still sniffing obnoxiously.

"Sorry to say that’s your new family," Levi grimly informs the rabbit. It stares back at him, wide-eyed.

Ten minutes later, the two of them are finally out of the store, taking their beloved, now male Cookie with them. Levi barely has time to breathe a sigh of relief before he hears the tinkle of a bell, signifying another customer had just walked in.

He listens carefully, not turning around. Perhaps this person is just going to buy some food, or maybe even a toy. That would be fine by him.

Levi frowns in disappointment as he hears footsteps heading in the opposite direction, where the animals themselves are kept.

"Excuse me," a soft voice says. The attempt at civility after what’s just occurred is the only reason Levi turns around. He’s met with the sight of a tall, messy-haired guy, eyes a little wide. He looks completely out of place. At least he doesn’t have any kids with him.

Levi walks over slowly, the guy’s face brightening into a smile as he nears.

"I was wondering if you had any cats."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Levi points, then walks around to the next aisle. There are five different cats at the moment, kept in three separate cages.

The guy laughs, rubbing at the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Sorry, I should have just… I didn’t mean to bother you.”

For some reason, Levi’s feeling a little better. Probably because he’s dealing with a normal human being. As this is the case, he decides to be helpful.

"So I assume you’re either picking up a cat for your kid, or because you’re lonely."

Well.

He’d meant to try to be helpful, anyway.

"Um…" The guy scratches at his ear awkwardly. "I don’t have any kids."

Levi realizes he actually looks kind of young, and notes he doesn’t have a wedding band either. “So you’re lonely,” he supplies helpfully.

He’s the first person to admit his personality especially isn’t suited for this aspect of customer service.

"I… I guess you could say that." Levi feels a little bad, but the guy is smiling again, so apparently he’s not too offended. "So which one do you like?" he asks, gesturing toward the cats.

Honestly, he hates when people ask his opinion. He finds it to be completely pointless, but he’s trying to be civil.

"What does it matter? It’s gonna be your pet, not mine."

For some reason, things aren’t coming out quite how Levi intends.

"That’s true," the man says, eyes crinkling in a smile. It’s a little unnerving, this guy’s smile. "Maybe I’m wrong, but you don’t seem too enthusiastic about animals. How’d you end up working here?"

Levi pauses. He’s often asked himself the same question.

He really doesn’t feel like explaining his life story to this random person though, so instead he shrugs. “I don’t plan on being here forever.”

The guy laughs again, eyes shining. “You’re very up front.” Levi’s not sure if it’s meant to be an insult, but his unvoiced question is answered a moment later as he continues, “It’s kind of refreshing.”

Levi doesn’t really know what to say to that, so he shrugs again, crossing his arms. There’s a weird hot feeling in his ears, and Levi directs his gaze to the cats. They’re supposed to be talking about cats, right?

"Well, I think it’d be fun to work here." Levi keeps staring at the cats, like it will make the guy stop talking. Unfortunately it doesn’t work. "But it’s good that you have other dreams for yourself, too."

Levi can’t help but feel like he’s caught in some sort of strange nightmare. When he turns back to look at the guy, he smiles, a little crooked and maybe a little charming. “I’m Eren.”

Levi stares confusedly, wondering why there’s any need for such an introduction. “Ah,” he says, shifting from one foot to the other.

"And you?"

He wants to ignore the prompt. He always hates when customers ask for his name, but for some reason this feels even weirder than normal.

"…Levi," he mumbles, glancing over at the clock on the wall. Twenty-one more minutes.

The guy - make that Eren - looks superbly pleased for some reason. “Well, even if it’s going to be my cat, I’d still like your opinion.”

He turns away finally, and Levi takes this opportunity to close his eyes and count to ten. He only gets to six before his eyes snap open at the sound of a loud gasp. A moment later Eren’s reaching out to press his fingers to one of the cages.

"Hey, you’re not supposed to do that," Levi reprimands automatically, pulling Eren’s hand away by the wrist.

"Oh, sorry," Eren says immediately, apparently unperturbed over essentially being manhandled. He looks to Levi again and smiles. "The black and white cat - it looks just like you!"

…This is definitely some kind of strange nightmare. It has to be.

Levi barely manages to keep his mouth from falling open. This guy is not a normal person, as he’d thought earlier. What kind of idiot would compare him to a cat?

"Why do you look so offended?" Though it’s probably meant to sound accusatory, Eren seems embarrassed. There’s a little wrinkle between his eyebrows that’s somehow stupidly distracting.

"Who tells someone they look like a cat?"

"No, I said the cat looked like you," Eren corrects, looking back to the cat and ignoring Levi’s mounting confusion.

"You’re weird," he says, even though it’s one of the worst things he could probably say to a potential customer.

"Maybe so," Eren agrees good-naturedly, waving stupidly to the cat. It wanders toward the front of the cage and meows pathetically. Levi’s heart is not warmed by the sight.

Eren straightens up with a grin. “I’ll take this one.”

It feels a little strange as he transfers his apparent cat clone (though Levi definitely doesn’t see any resemblance whatsoever) into a carrier. He sets it on the counter, then pulls out the papers Eren will need to sign.

He glances over to see Eren looking confusedly between different brands of cat food. With a sigh, Levi walks over to assist him.

Eren ends up with a Levi-recommended box of dry food, two cans of wet food, a water and food bowl set, a small litter box, and a bag of litter. Eren prattles on as Levi rings up his purchase, and despite not really caring to know, he learns that Eren’s nineteen and has two part-time jobs - one at a diner and also at a flower shop, and is studying to become a pharmacist.

It’s a little too much for his brain to handle, but for some reason all of the busy-ness seems to suit Eren.

"I hope I didn’t forget anything," Eren says a bit worriedly. Levi watches as he somehow hefts his bags onto one arm, carefully cradling the cat’s carrier in the other.

"Do you have a car?" Levi can’t help asking, feeling a little concerned as he eyes the corner of the litter box jutting into Eren’s side.

"No, but I don’t live very far," Eren replies, smiling. "Thanks for your help today, Levi."

"Yeah," he mutters noncommittally.

Eren turns just before leaving, giving Levi his most brilliant smile yet (and no, it doesn’t make his breath catch). “See you, Levi.”

Unsure of how to reply, Levi just nods awkwardly, then watches Eren disappear outside. He wonders belatedly if he should have offered to hold the door for him.

—

He’d kind of had a feeling that he would see Eren again, but he’s still taken by surprise when the guy comes by the very next day.

"I don’t have any toys for him," Eren explains, expression grave as he examines the wide array of cat toys. It’s hard for Levi not to roll his eyes at Eren’s concentration. Not that he would even notice.

Levi scowls at the tiny mice Eren holds contemplatively in one hand. “Don’t waste your money buying toys for it. Most cats are just fine with string or a cardboard box, anyway.”

Eren glances over at him, pursing his lips. “Really?” Levi nods, then bristles as Eren picks up a ball with a bell jingling in the middle of it.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Are you sure you’re not just saying that because you hate cats?" Eren looks skeptical.

Eyebrow twitching, Levi snatches the toy out of Eren’s hand and throws it unceremoniously back on the shelf. “Shut up, I never said I hated them. I just don’t like them.”

A beat, then Eren smiles. “Shouldn’t you be trying to make a sale, Levi?”

Levi feels his face inexplicably heat up, and he storms back to the counter. It takes all of his effort not to say something very non-customer friendly. No wonder he doesn’t try being nice to these people more often.

Studiously ignoring Eren, Levi pulls out the book he’s been reading and spreads it open on the counter. There are other things he could be doing, like sweeping the floor or changing the animals’ water bowls, but that can be saved for later. If he ends up smashing the broom over Eren’s head, he can kiss his job goodbye.

He’s only read two pages before he hears Eren walk up. After a moment of contemplation, Levi decides to continue ignoring him. It’s not that hard, as he’s used to ignoring most everything while reading.

After a few moments, Eren clears his throat. Levi turns a page in response.

"Levi?"

He doesn’t reply.

"…Do you take classes?"

Levi still ignores him.

"Is that something you’re reading for one of them?"

Levi grunts.

"Is that a yes…?"

Another grunt.

"Levi, I’m going to pinch your nose."

At that, Levi nearly jumps, looking up in alarm. Thankfully Eren isn’t making any moves to commit such a dangerous act, but he is smiling in that ridiculous way that he does. “Unbelievable,” Levi mutters, sliding his book to the side.

As usual, Eren doesn’t appear offended by Levi’s sour attitude. It’s a little bit concerning.

"Anyway, Levi," he says brightly, "I appreciate the advice, but I think I’ll get at least this one."

Eren places the bell-ball on the counter, gently rolling it toward Levi’s book. Levi glares as it bumps against the edge of the pages.

"If you damage it, you’re paying for a replacement," he says, scowling. It’s getting harder and harder to tell what’s appropriate or not to say to Eren, but he has no time to worry over it. Eren reaches out to pick up the book, though he does it rather carefully.

After surveying the title, Eren eyes him curiously. “Why are you reading about birds’ migration patterns?”

Levi glares as best he’s able, snatching the book back. Happily, Eren finally looks intimidated.

"Because I want to," he bites out.

Truthfully, the book had been on a library cart filled with titles people could take for free, and that’s the only reason Levi owns it. But there’s nothing wrong with reading your own books.

After some more glaring, Eren raises his hands. “Levi, you’re kind of scaring me…”

Levi rolls his eyes, turning to place the book on the stool in the corner. He shuffles back to the counter, choosing not to look at Eren, and instead silently rings his purchase.

A moment later, he freezes, wide eyes drifting upwards as— Eren wouldn’t dare—

The two fingers stop right in front of Levi’s nose. There’s a horrible flush rising in his neck, but he won’t— he won’t let himself flinch, but he also can’t let Eren—

A small laugh, and Eren drops his hand. “That expression’s much better.”

Levi’s stomach does a strange flip, and he doesn’t know what else to do but stare. “You’re really weird,” he says. There’s a soft expression on Eren’s face, one that’s very unsettling.

His gaze drifts down to watch as Eren rolls the toy slowly back and forth. “…Hey, I—”

Levi nearly jumps at the sound of someone else entering the store. Eren looks surprised himself, so hopefully he hadn’t noticed. Levi is both annoyed and relieved, and suddenly he wants Eren to be gone. He’s weird. Really weird, in a way Levi has no idea how to deal with.

His stomach does a weird awkward flip after noticing Eren’s ears are a little pink.

Eren breaks the silence. “How much do I owe you?”

Eren pays and Levi gives him his change, all in silence.

"Bag?" Levi offers woodenly.

"That’s okay," Eren says, slipping the toy into his coat pocket. He looks troubled, then places one hand on the counter, leaning forward a little. He looks Levi in the eye, and his heart seems to race in his chest.

"I’m…" he starts, that crinkle appearing between his brows again. "Sorry for bothering you. Or… yeah."

He looks uncomfortable, which only serves to make Levi feel even more so.

"Have a good night," Eren says finally.

Levi doesn’t know if he should tell Eren he’s not a bother, or maybe return the well wishes. He does neither, instead watching Eren leave without a word.

He frowns to himself.

He doesn’t like being teased, or people getting overly friendly with him. Or acting… playful. It’s just all way too weird.

So why does Levi feel unsettled?

"Hey, don’t you have any cats?" a voice calls out from the other side of the store.

Levi grits his teeth. “Next aisle.”

—

Eren ends up stopping in rather often, usually only buying a few things each time. He regales Levi with unnecessary stories about his cat, and even more unnecessary stories about himself. For some reason, Levi doesn’t brush him off like he should.

It’s strange, but Eren doesn’t annoy him like he should, either.

—

It had bothered him a little.

Just a little.

Eren hasn’t come by in the past week and a half, but really, it isn’t like they’re friends. It’s stupid to have formed any kind of expectations. Eren had probably found it funny to mess around and shoot the shit with him when he’d happened to be there.

And that’s fine. It’s nothing for him to be concerned over.

Levi sits slumped over the counter, poring over a textbook. His mind had stopped wandering to Eren after awhile, so he’s surprised to see him standing there when he looks up.

He hadn’t paid much attention to the sound of someone coming in. He finds himself a little tongue-tied, and after a couple of seconds of actually looking at Eren, he finally asks, “What’s wrong?”

Eren appears frazzled, though he’s quick to reply, “Nothing.”

They stare at each other for a few long moments before Eren’s shoulders sag. “I’m— Really, nothing.” He sighs softly. “My cat got sick. And— it’s stupid, but I missed work because I was worried about him.” Eren’s hands twist atop the counter, eyes averted. “I mean, I just got him, and I’m supposed to be taking care of him, you know? But… he’s okay now. The vet said that kind of thing is normal, actually.”

Levi blinks. “Oh.” He awkwardly shifts his weight to his other foot. He’s not sure why Eren’s telling him all of this. It doesn’t seem like he’s trying to blame the shop for giving him a sick cat. “That’s good,” he adds belatedly, if only to break the odd silence that’s fallen over them.

"Yeah," Eren replies, sighing again. He glances back up at Levi, tentative smile on his face.

Levi honestly has no idea what’s going on, but he’ll attempt to broach whatever it is tactfully.

"So why are you here?"

It probably could have been more tactful, judging by the way Eren flinches, eyes wide.

"Well, I—" he pauses, eyes still wide even as he purses his lips in thought. Levi tries not to look at him too closely. The whole expression is much too ridiculous.

"Do you need medicine?" Levi puts in helpfully. Yes, that must be it. Maybe he’s looking for some more medicine; they don’t carry too much here, but maybe the vet had recommended something, or some kind of dietary—

"No, that’s not it." Eren plants both of his hands firmly on the counter, a resolute expression on his face. For some reason, Levi finds he can’t look away from him now.

He’s aware of the bell ringing in the distance, but he ignores it. “Then…?”

Before Eren can answer, a man interrupts, “Excuse me.”

Levi’s gaze skirts to the side, taking in the older man standing behind Eren. “Yes?”

Eren whirls around, mouth open and eyes angry. It’s kind of comical to watch the way he deflates at the sight of the man. He awkwardly hangs around the counter while Levi walks the man over to go through all the different types of bird food they carry. Honestly Levi doesn’t have to deal with the nuances of different bird foods very often, and he ends up poring over ingredient lists with the guy while Eren seems to deflate even further, slumping against the counter with his head in his hands.

By the time the man is ready to buy something, Eren’s brushing past Levi, hand raised in a half-wave. He looks embarrassed for some reason, and Levi forgets to acknowledge his wave with anything other than a blank stare.

—

The next time Levi has to deal with Eren, he’s not actually there.

"Do you know him from somewhere?" Erwin asks, shuffling through the papers on his desk. Levi has no idea how he finds anything in there.

"No," he replies, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. There’s still fifteen minutes before they have to open, and Levi is perfectly content to spend that time in the back room.

"Is there a problem I should know about?" Erwin glances up at him then, that weird look in his eyes that makes Levi feel like he’s trying to read his mind. Hopefully the day never comes when he’ll succeed, but Levi always makes sure to run through a series of expletives in his head for Erwin to enjoy, just in case.

"No," he says again. He pauses, then adds, "Well, the last time he was here, I had another customer. He left without buying anything. Maybe he was pissed off."

Still, even though Eren’s obviously weird, Levi finds it hard to believe he’d called to complain about him. The fact remains, however, that he’d called yesterday and said something about Levi, but Erwin won’t tell him exactly what.

"I don’t know." Erwin’s absorbed in his paperwork again, glasses sliding down his nose. "You better watch your back. You don’t want to get jumped on your way out of here or something."

"What the fuck?" Levi stares, waiting for a reply. None comes. "Why the hell would he jump me?"

"I don’t…" Erwin trails off into a mumble. "Or maybe he just wants to avoid you because you’re an asshole… that’s possible." He taps his fingers thoughtfully on his desk.

"Thanks."

"Of course," Erwin replies distractedly. "Shouldn’t you go unlock the door?" he adds, and Levi’s eyes dart to the clock.

He leaves the office, scowling deeply.

—

A few days later, Levi is on his knees before Eren.

The thing is, he hadn’t realized it’s Eren, instead prodding viciously at his heels with the dustpan in his hands. He has a false apology on his lips when he looks up to see Eren there, but it dies away.

It hasn’t been a good day. He’d barely gotten any sleep, he’d had a grueling exam earlier, and it’s only been one horrendous customer after another since he’d gotten here this afternoon. He’s been crawling around on the floor cleaning up the remains of a jumbo-sized dog kibble bag for over an hour. Some kid had split the bag open before laughing and running out of the store, and Levi’s certain he’ll never clean it all up.

And now he’s gazing up at Eren, with his stupid hair that he must refuse to run a comb through, and one end of his silly fucking scarf is dangling down near Levi’s head. He wants to yank on it and send Eren tumbling to the floor, wants to kick him into one of the shelves and throw dog kibble on him.

"If you have a problem, you should’ve just said something," he bites out. Levi knows he shouldn’t, but he’s actually extremely pissed off that Eren would have called to complain about him to Erwin. He’s probably going to end up fired for confronting a customer like this, but it’s been a really, really bad day.

"What do you mean?" Eren asks, tilting his head to the side. Does he think he’s cute or something?

"I don’t know what you said when you called my boss, but it’s pretty messed up that you’d do that."

Levi goes back to the task at hand, teeth gritted. Maybe he’s just a little bit hurt that Eren would do that.

And he knows that makes no sense. He barely knows Eren, and he shouldn’t let himself be hurt by—

"W-wait, Levi— I don’t— what do you—" Eren’s babbling now, red-faced and nervous. Levi wants to jab his heels again.

"Gonna deny it, huh. I didn’t think you were that type of person, but—"

"Levi! Shut up!"

Levi freezes, looking back up to Eren. He looks winded, hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Sorry, but you—" Eren shakes his head, frustrated. "I didn’t call to say anything bad. I just… I just asked for you."

Levi stares. “Huh?”

"I asked if Levi was there, and the guy said no… and then I just asked when you’d be in next…" Eren scratches at his cheek, a short laugh escaping him. "I guess that probably sounded a little weird. But I didn’t know he was your boss, or that you’d get in trouble. Do you want me to talk to—"

This time, Levi’s the one telling Eren to shut up. He does it with a raised hand, the other still clasped around the dust pan.

This is all so incredibly stupid.

Levi sighs. “It’s fine,” he says. “I must have misunderstood.”

Eren’s face relaxes. “So, you’re not in trouble?” He sounds so relieved, Levi’s almost embarrassed.

"It’s fine," he repeats gruffly. He goes back to sweeping up kibble bits, perhaps a little more vigorously than before.

Eren hangs around for awhile, though he’s a bit more subdued than usual. He still smiles at Levi before he leaves, a few cans of cat food in his hand.

It’s not until he’s already gone that Levi wonders why Eren had wanted to know when he was working in the first place.

—

The hairs on the back of Levi’s neck stand up as he locks up the shop for the night. His instincts are usually right, and when he whips around, there is indeed someone behind him.

He just hadn’t expected for it to be Eren.

"Hi," Eren says calmly, like it’s perfectly normal for him to by standing beside the street light as Levi leaves for the evening.

"What are you…" Levi’s brows furrow as he slips his keys into his pocket. "Did you forget something? We’re already closed."

"I know," Eren replies, taking a step forward. He has his hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders hunched strangely. Levi has a sudden panicked thought that maybe Erwin had been right, and Eren had been planning to jump him after all.

Luckily Levi is certain he can take him out if it comes to that. He braces himself as Eren takes another step forward, but all he does is smile, ears a little pink. “Hi,” he says again.

Levi is ready to knee Eren in the stomach and flip him into the street when he huffs out a laugh. He looks embarrassed as he runs a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, I’m probably freaking you out, aren’t I?”

He doesn’t answer, but Eren seems to take that for an affirmative.

"It’s just, I wanted to ask you something, and the time never seems right." The way Eren’s looking at him has Levi’s heart hammering in his chest, and he wonders if maybe he should have thrown Eren into the street when the thought had first crossed his mind.

That look of determination Levi’s seen glimpses of before comes over Eren’s face. Something seems to twist in Levi’s stomach as Eren opens his mouth; whether it’s anticipation or blind panic, Levi can’t be sure.

"I want to know if you’ll go out with me."

Levi stands stock still, eyes wide. It’s quiet for a moment, and then he watches Eren’s eyes crinkle at the corners as he laughs, soft and sweet in a way Levi hasn’t heard before. “I’m— It’s okay if you don’t want to.” His small smile makes Levi’s stomach flutter uncomfortably. “I guess I just didn’t want to ask when you were working. I didn’t want you to feel… obligated. I don’t know.”

He feels like his head’s spinning, mouth suddenly dry. Eren closes his eyes, then lets out a breath, his shoulders shifting with the force of it. “Are you gonna say anything?”

Levi would like to, but the problem is, he has no idea what. It seems ridiculous to imagine that this is something Eren’s been mulling over. In fact, it seems ludicrous that Eren would even be thinking about Levi in that way at all. So why is it that Levi’s skin feels like it’s tingling, heart beating so fast he almost wants to run to keep up with it?

Eren’s eyes open again, and he can see the expectation in them fade into something else, something Levi definitely doesn’t want to see there. It’s then that he knows what he wants, even if it’s terrifying to consider it.

"Yes," he blurts.

"I— what?" Eren’s eyes are wide, eyebrows disappearing into his hair. Levi realizes that maybe the reason he’s found Eren’s hair so annoying all of this time is because he wants to run his fingers through it.

Truthfully, he has no idea what he’s doing, but he knows that whatever it— this is, he wants to try. It would make everything a little easier if Eren didn’t look like Levi had just thrown a bucket of ice water over his head, but he pushes onward anyway.

"I said yes, idiot."

The surprise on Eren’s face slowly melts into delight, red blooming in his cheeks, and Levi’s not sure how his body isn’t shutting down with how wildly his heart’s beating.

"Oh, you— okay," Eren breathes, smile splitting his face. He looks so much happier than he should, and Levi’s heart squeezes pathetically at the sight. "Okay," he repeats, gaze softening.

Levi doesn’t know how to properly deal with situations like these, but agreeing to let Eren walk him home seems like a good way to start. And grasping back at Eren’s fumbling fingers halfway along the way to his apartment seems like an even better way to continue.

**Author's Note:**

> I always feel bad for going so long without posting anything... so here is this fic I posted to my tumblr awhile back.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please forgive me for the cheesiness... *cries*


End file.
